Sliding door

ABSTRACT

A door panel slidable in a door frame with a flexible guide for the upper end of the panel at the top of the frame and a track at bottom of the frame on which said panel is slidable on guides. The panel is maintained in engagement with said track by a retainer projecting from the lower end of the panel and formed to effect snap-on and snap-off engagement and disengagement with said track.

O v United States Patent 1 3,745,706 Stermac 1 July 17, 1973 [54] SLIDING DQOR FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [761 Inventor? Boris 1 4 Underhi DR, 663,726 5 1963 Canada 49 425 v Don Mllls, Ontarw, Canada 1,496,188 8/1967 France 49/425 [22] Filed: Sept. 18, 1972 Primary Exammen-Denms L. Taylor [21] Appl. No.: 289,815 Att0mey-Leon Arthur's 52 us. c1 49/425, 49/404, 16/93 R [571 ABSTRACT [51 Int. Cl E05d 13/02 A door Panel Slidable in a o frame with a flexible 58 Field of Search 49/425, 409, 404, guide for the pp end of the Panel at the top of e 49 127 41 1 0/91; 1 105 10 93 R frame and a track at bottom of the frame on which said panel is slidable on guides. The panel is maintained in [56] Ref re Ci d engagement with said track by a retainer projecting UNITED STATES PATENTS from the lower end of the panel, and formed to effect 2,646,949 7 1953 'Saulnier 49 425 x aig' g ggx engagemem'and d'sengagemem 3,167,112 1/1965 Tucker 947,947 1/1910 Schnoor, 16/93 R 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAIENJED Jul 1 11m FIG. 7

MV/Z p SLIDING DOOR This invention is directed broadly to a sliding door assembly of a familiar type in which doors are mounted for sliding movement in a frame between an upper guide and a lower track. In particular, the invention relates' to an improved assembly of this type which includes means for preventing inadvertent disengagemerit of said door from its lower track and otherwise facilitates movement thereof.

The embodiment of the invention selected and described herein visualizes a sliding door having an upper end slidably engaged in an upper guide which is constituted, in this preferred embodiment, by an elongated and inverted U-shaped channel member. The lower end of the door is fitted with anti-friction glides which may be in the form of the conventional castors as in this embodiment, for example, and which are disposed thereon for travel along the lower track to facilitate movement of the door. Ordinarily, the rim of each castor is shaped to conform to the contour of a lower track rail. Otherwise stated, the respective castors and rail usually have a mating engagement at their points of contact which, in turn, helps to maintain the castors on the rail in normal use. Thus, it will be understood that said door is guided in said frame not only by its upper end, but also by its lower end.

As will be appreciated, in an assembly as so far described, the sliding door is quite susceptible to becoming dislodged from its lower track. That is to say, even a minor obstruction in the sliding path of the door, for example, is apt to result in the derailment of the eastors. Accordingly, as a protective measure against this potential occurrence, the present sliding door assembly further includes an anchor device connected between the door and said lower track rail to maintain the parts in co-operative relation against even severe derailing influences without deleteriously affecting the sliding of the door.

As may be expected, a guide for the upper end of the door as aforesaid is a virtual necessity for maintaining the door in alignment with its frame. In the past, however, warping of the door or of its frame has caused misalignments which resulted in jamming of the upper door end to very often derail the door. Thus, the invention seeks to overcome this disadvantage by providing a relatively jam-proof upper guide.

A variety of anchor devices have heretofore been in corporated in sliding door assemblies as evinced by the prior art. However, this invention is directed toward a sliding door assembly as aforesaid which has, as its main object the inclusion of an anchor device which not only maintains engagement of the door with its track under adverse conditions, but which is also easily attachable between the track and the door by what may be called a simple "snap-fit.

Essentially, the rail visualized in this embodiment is of fairly conventional character having, when viewed in cross-section, an upper enlargement for example, a bead at the top of a web by which it is connected to the track base. The web is fairly thin so that the enlargement overhangs it on both sides as though the rail were undercut.

The anchoring device which co-operates with this rail assumes the form of a plunger and is reciprocally disposed within a socket in the lower end of the door; the device projecting therefrom towards the rail. The projecting portion is constituted by a retainer which is provided with rail gripping jaws which are spreadable to embrace the rail enlargement and to seat in the undercutting.

Said jaws, at least, are formed of resilient material imparting to them the snap characteristics aforesaid; the snap-fit attachment being effected by the simple expedient of pushing the device into engagement with the rail causing the jaws to be cammed open as the enlargement enters between them and thereafter to revert to their original position once the enlargement is embraced. As a result, said anchor device enables said door to resist even strong derailing forces and to retain its engagement with the track against such forces.

Although the foregoing description sets forth the manner in which the anchor device is attached to the rail by a snap-on engagement, it may, at times, be desirable to disengage the anchor device for it so that the door may be removed from its frame e.g. to adjust the castors thereon. Accordingly, it will be understood that said anchor device may be separated from said rail with equal ease by a simple snap-off disengagement. In this case, the converse situation to the above occurs. That is to say, to provide the snap-off disengagement of the anchor device from the rail, the plunger is merely pulled away therefrom which causes the jaws to spread and subsequently to revert to their original position in a like manner as hereinabove described. Thereafter, the door is available for removal from its frame for whatever purposes may be deemed necessary.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved sliding door assembly as aforesaid in which said glides are vertically adjustable on said door to raise and lower the door for levelling purposes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an anchor device in a sliding door assembly as aforesaid which is simple in design, easy and cheap to manufacture and easily manipulable for manually implementing the aforesaid snap-fit attachment.

The various objects of this invention are achieved essentially by providing a sliding door assembly comprising; a door panel; a frame installable in a doorway in which said door panel is slidable between open and closed positions; a guide at the top of said frame in which the upper end of said panel is slidably engageable; a track at the bottom of said frame on which said panel is movable; at least one rail forming part of said track; glides on the bottom end of said panel engaging and movable along said track; a plunger socketed in and reciprocably projecting from the bottom end of said panel toward said rail; a retainer constituting the projecting end of said plunger; corresponding formations on said retainer and said rail enabling slidable mating of the retainer with the rail to maintain said panel in engagement with said track while sliding as aforesaid in said frame; said retainer being further shaped and formed so as to permit snap-on and snapoff engagement and disengagement thereof with said rail.

Other objects of the invention more or less broad than the foregoing will be apparent from the following description of the elements, parts and principles of the invention given herein solely byway of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts of the invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sliding door assembly employing two door panels, each on a respective track; parts being broken away to reveal the frame of the assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the anchor device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevational edge view of a door panel mounted in its frame;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 6 showing the co-operation of the constituent parts of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational edge-view in cross-section of the bottom of the door panel showing the anchor device of FIG. 2 therein and embracing the track rail;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bottom of a door panel according to a modified form of the invention, and

FIG. 7 is an elevational edge-view of the stile of the door panel shown in FIG. 6 depicting a modified form of the anchor device therein and embracing the track rail.

The embodiment of the sliding door assembly according to the present invention is shown generally in FIG. I. Therein, it is seen that laterally spaced door panels 2 are mounted for sliding movement between open and closed positions in a frame F installable in a doorway. Said frame F includes a guide 4 at its top in which the upper end of said door panel 2 is slidably engageable and at its bottom said frame F includes a track 6 on which said door panel 2 is movable; said track 6, in turn, having a rail 8 upon which said door panel 2 preferably travels. In order to facilitate movement of said door panel 2 along said track 6, glides 10-10 as aforesaid, constituted in this embodiment by castors, are adjustably mounted on the bottom end thereof and engage said rail 8 as best shown in FIG. 3.

Turning now to the improved anchoring means of particular concern herein for maintaining constant alignment of said door panel 2 in said frame F, FIG. 2 illustrates an anchor device, shown in isolation, in the form of plunger 12. Said plunger 12 includes a shank l4 and a retainer 16; said retainer 16 being formed of a deformable material such as plastic, for example, and having resiliently spreadable jaws 18-18 constituted by a discontinuous annulus. Essentially, said discontinuous annulus, in this preferred embodiment, has many of the characteristics of a familiar keyhole wherein the spacing between the ends of said jaws 18-18 define a narrow entry 20 to a wider central opening 22.

Said rail 8 when viewed in cross-section of FIG. 3 presents an upper enlargement 24 such as a bead, for example, at the top of a web 26 by which it is connected to the track base 28. Said web 26 is fairly thin so that said enlargement 24 overhangs it on both sides thereof providing undercutting 30-30.

When in operative position of FIGS. 1 and 5, said plunger 12 is socketed in the bottom end of said door panel 2 as at 32 and reciprocably projects therefrom toward said rail 8; the projecting end of said plunger 12 constituting said retainer 16. Said retainer 16 and said rail 8, in turn, have corresponding formations i.e. said retainer jaws 18-18 embrace said rail enlargement 24 and seat in said undercutting 30-30 enabling slidable mating thereof to maintain said door panel 2 in engagement with said track 6 while sliding as aforesaid within said frame F; said retainer 16 being formed as described above permitting its snap-on" and snap-oft engagement and disengagement with said rail 8. Thus, from the foregoing description of the sliding door assembly and the included anchor device, it will be understood that any force applied against the face of said door panel 2 will be resisted by said plunger 12.

With regard now to the manner in which said anchor device is attached to said rail 8, it will be understood from FIG. 5 that said plunger 12 is initially reciprocably disposed within socket 32 in the bottom end of said door panel 2 as aforesaid with its retainer end 16 projecting therefrom in position to grasp said rail 8. Said retainer 16 is thereafter pushed against said rail 8 in an understood manner with concomitant spreading of said resilient jaws 18-18, shown in dotted lines, as said rail 8 initially penetrates narrow entry 20 to the central retainer opening 22; said jaws 18-18 reverting to their original and normal position, shown in full lines, once said rail is fully and slidably accommodated in said central retainer opening 22 in the mating engagement aforesaid. Essentially, this action may be best described as a snap-on engagement since said jaws 18-18 are capable of spreading and inherently reverting to their normal position once said rail 8 is embraced therebetween due to the resiliency of the plastic from which they are formed. Conversely, a snap-off disengagement may be achieved by simply pulling said retainer 16 away from said rail 8 with concomitant spreading and retracting of said jaws 18-18 as said rail 8 leaves said central retainer opening 22.

Referring once again to said guide 4, FIG. 3 illustrates the particular manner in which the upper end of said door panel 2 is slidably engageable therein as aforesaid. Said guide 4 is shown to be constituted by a channel member 34 having spaced flanges 36-36 between which the upper end of said door panel 2 is positioned. Under certain circumstances, it is recognized that such a door panel may become jammed in said guide 4 as a result of misalignment caused by warping of the door panel and/or channel member, for example. Accordingly, in order to obviate potential jamming, the flanges, at least, of said member 34 are preferably formed of a resiliently deformable material e.g. plastic vesting them with limited flexibility as indicated by dotted lines, which, in turn, renders them yieldable in response to extraordinary lateral pressures exerted by a warped panel 2 in its sliding movement. With such a construction, it will be appreciated that said panel 2 may continue to slide relatively freely within said guide 4 notwithstanding the warping aforesaid.

With reference now to the specific construction of one embodiment of said sliding door panel 2, FIG. 6 illustrates it to include a flat panel 38 having hollow vertical stiles 40-40 on its opposite edges. In turn, each said hollow stile 40 is provided with a filler block 42 securely disposed within its bottom end; said filler block 42 serving not only to provide mounting for a said glide 10 but also to co-operate with said hollow stile 40 to define a recess 44 within which a plunger 46 is socketed as shown in FIGS'. 4 and 7. If and when said recess 44 is misaligned with said glide 10 as best shown in FIG. 7, it follows that said plunger 46 must necessarily be constructed in a slightly modified form from the plunger 12 as hereinabove described to serve its intended purposes. That is to say, said plunger 46 shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7 has been altered in fonn to offset the retainer 16 relative to the shank 14 so that said retainer 16 will fall into alignment with said glide when the shank 14 is socketed in said recess 44; the resulting construction, of course, permitting the plunger 46 to serve in the same manner as previously discussed-in relation to said plunger 12.

In addition to said panel 38 and said stiles 40-40, said door panel 2 further includes railing 48 extending between and attached to said filler blocks 42 as shown in FIG. 6; said railing 48 serving to reinforce said panel 2 and said filler blocks 42 providing anchorage for said railing 48.

By way of brief summary therefore the invention is directed toward a sliding door assembly in which door panels are mounted for sliding movement in a frame between an upper guide and a lower track. In particular, the invention relates to an improved assembly as aforesaid which includes anchor devices connected between the door panels and the lower track to maintain the parts in co-operative relation against severe derailing influences without adversely affecting the sliding of the door panel; said anchor devices and track having corresponding formations with said anchor devices being formed to permit snap-on and snap-off engagement and disengagement thereof with said track.

What I claim is: t

l. A sliding door assembly comprising:

a door panel;

a frame installable in a doorway in which said door panel is slidable between open and closed positions;

a guide at the top of said frame in which the upper end of said panel is slidably engageable;

a track at the bottom of said frame on which said panel is movable;

at least one rail forming part of said track;

glides on the bottom end of said panel engaging and movable along said track;

. at least one plunger socketed in and reciprocably projecting from the bottom end of said panel toward said rail and a retainer constituting the projecting end of said plunger;

said retainer and said rail having corresponding formations enabling slidable mating of said retainer with said rail to maintain said panel in engagement with said track while sliding as aforesaid within said frame;

said retainer being formed to permit snap-on and snap-off engagement and disengagement thereof with said rail.

2. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said retainer and said rail configurations permitting embracement of said rail by said retainer; the retainer being resiliently deformable enabling snapon and snap-off engagement and disengagement with said rail as aforesaid.

3. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim I wherein:

said rail has undercutting and is of uniform cross section throughout its length, and said retainer has jaws which are resiliently spreadable enabling them to embrace said rail and to seat in said undercutting. 4. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said guide is constituted by a member having spaced flanges between which the upper end of said panel is slidably engageable as aforesaid; said flanges having limited flexibility rendering them yeildable in response to extraordinary lateral pressures exerted by the panel in its sliding movement aforesaid while maintaining engagement of the door panel therein. 5. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said guide and said track include a plurality of laterally spaced flanged members and rails, respectively with a plurality of door panels slidable in said frame, said flanged members and rails being sufficiently laterally spaced to permit adjacent doors to slide past one another. 6. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said panel includes vertical stiles, and said plunger is socketed in one of said stiles. 7. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein: v

said jaws are constituted by a discontinuous annulus slidably accommodating said rail in the mating engagement aforesaid. I 8. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said vertical stiles are of hollow construction and a filler block is disposed within the bottom end, at least of each of them; the plunger being socketed in the filler block. 9. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said glides are vertically adjustable to raise and lower said panel in said frame independently of said plunger. 10. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein:

said vertical stiles are of hollow construction and a filler block is disposed within the bottom end, at least, of each of them; the plunger being socketed in a recess between the filler block and said stile. 11. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein:

the plunger has a shank by which it is socketed as aforesaid and the retainer is offset relative thereto.

II k

I UNfiED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION- Patent No. 3,745 6 m uly 17, 1973 Boris-Stermac Invent0r(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as' shown below:

On the cover sheet I insert H [73] Assignee: Premium FOreStP'rdducts Limited, Scarborough, Oritario," -Canda Signed and eealed this l9jth day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Atte'st; I

Mcc'oY my; GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL 'DANN Arte'stlng; Officer 1 Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC 60370-5 69 FORM PO-105O (Io-'59) I v 0.5. GOVERNMENT IRINTING OFFICE 9 

1. A sliding door assembly comprising: a door panel; a frame installable in a doorway in which said door panel is slidable between open and closed positions; a guide at the top of said frame in which the upper end of said panel is slidably engageable; a track at the bottom of said frame on which said panel is movable; at least one rail forming part of said track; glides on the bottom end of said panel engaging and movable along said track; at least one plunger socketed in and reciprocably projecting from the bottom end of said panel toward said rail and a retainer constituting the projecting end of said plunger; said retainer and said rail having corresponding formations enabling slidable mating of said retainer with said rail to maintain said panel in engagement with said track while sliding as aforesaid within said frame; said retainer being formed to permit snap-on and snap-off engagement and disengagement thereof with said rail.
 2. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein: said retainer and said rail configurations permitting embracement of said rail by said retainer; the retainer being resiliently deformable enabling snap-on and snap-off engagement and disengagement with said rail as aforesaid.
 3. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein: said rail has undercutting and is of uniform cross section throughout its length, and said retainer has jaws which are resiliently spreadable enabling them to embrace said rail and to seat in said undercutting.
 4. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein: said guide is constituted by a member having spaced flanges between which the upper end of said panel is slidably engageable as aforesaid; said flanges having limited flexibility rendering them yeildable in response to extraordinary lateral pressures exerted by the panel in its sliding movement aforesaid while maintaining engagement of the door panel therein.
 5. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein: said guide and said track include a plurality of laterally spaced flanged members and rails, respectively with a plurality of door panels slidable in said frame, said flanged members and rails being sufficiently laterally spaced to permit adjacent doors to slide past one another.
 6. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein: said panel includes vertical stiles, and said plunger is socketed in one of said stiles.
 7. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein: said jaws are constituted by a discontinuous annulus slidably accommodating said rail in the mating engagement aforesaid.
 8. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein: said vertical stiles are of hollow construction and a filler block is disposed within the bottom end, at least of each of them; the plunger being socketed in the filler block.
 9. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein: said glides are vertically adjustable to raise and lower said panel in said frame independently of said plunger.
 10. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein: said vertical stiles are of hollow construction and a filler block is disposed within the bottom end, at least, of each of them; the plunger being socketed in a recess between the filler block and said stile.
 11. The sliding door assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein: the plunger has a shank by which it is socketed as aforesaid and the retainer is offset relative thereto. 